RIG R5 Spear Pro HS review: "a new contender for my favorite budget PS5 headset"

The RIG R5 Spear Pro HS headset has launched exclusively at Best Buy at an intriguing time, as it marks the second brand-new wired headset I've tested in the last few weeks. Wired connections aren't new in the world of gaming headsets by any means, but it's intriguing nonetheless that the Turtle Beach Atlas 200 for PS5 and the RIG R5 Pro HS released in close succession, and both are designed to introduce a premium sound without a premium price.

With price increases sweeping across the Sony gaming landscape, I'm very fond of this trend. Honestly, the more affordable high-quality PS5 headsets the better, and the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS is definitely full of quality. The $69.99 / £69.90 wired headset musters up a great sound with its dynamic 40 mm Graphene-coated drivers, which produce evenly-leveled audio without driving up the cost. The official PS5 cups also add a unique bit of customization, which sets them apart from Turtle Beach's official wired pair.

The headset comes with a set of two magnetic plastic earcup coverings, plastered with the PlayStation logo. There aren't any mods to purchase separately quite yet, but RIG provides STL templates for 3D-printer owners to make their own - a nice pro-consumer touch that I'm a huge fan of. I'm a fan of almost everything to do with this headset honestly, bar its microphone. The mic quality sadly lets the rest of the headset down a tad, but if you stick to single-player PS5 games only and don't talk your friends' ear off on the PS5's built-in Discord chat, this is an impressive headset worth the $70 cost and then some.

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Key specs

Design

Out of all the RIG headsets I've tested so far, I probably like the look of the RIG R5 Pro HS the most. Its all-black colorway and over-ear form factor isn't revolutionary, but I'm thankful it doesn't have that overwhelming futuristic aesthetic as found with the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS, where there's bumpy bits of plastic sticking out at every opportunity. Instead, the R5 Spear Pro HS is much more minimal in design.

It's minimal, but it's not boring looking by any means. For one, I'm a big fan of the subtly, shiny 'RIG' lettering that's only found on the further left corner of the headset's matte plastic headband, and the tiny fabric Nacon label, which is tucked away underneath. The memory foam padding on the bottom of the band and the oval-shaped earcups are coated in a soft fabric mesh, which keeps things lightweight and comfortable too, similar in design and feel to the padding of the Turtle Beach Airlite Fit wired headset, but with a little extra foam to go around.

What I really admire about this headset is the unique form of customization that it holds. Similarly to headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, you can customizable the RIG's earcups. The headset comes with a set of two 'mods', which are essentially plastic coverings that you can magnetically pop on the outside of either cup to spruce up their look.

This is an officially licensed Sony headset, so naturally, the set you get adds big white PlayStation logos to either cup. If you aren't into that, you can simply leave them in the box and stick with the RIG logo instead. Like I briefly mentioned in the intro, RIG told me in the briefing for the headset that there are plans to work with studios and other brands to release mods you can purchase separately, like based on games and even esports teams, but there aren't any available as of yet.

Features

It's not just the look of the mod plates that I like so much, but it's the possibilities around them. Sure, there aren't any other pairs available to purchase yet, but RIG made an unexpected pro-consumer move of providing an official STL template for 3D printer owners, so anyone has the opportunity to make their own.

This is hands down my favorite feature of the headset, as it's so unexpected. I had assumed, in a much capitalistic fashion, that RIG would want to keep its mod plate specifications to itself, but making it publicly available makes me like this headset all the more.

Much to my chagrin, I don't own a 3D printer, but you can bet that I'll be hounding down my GamesRadar+ hardware team co-workers to help me design and print some mod plates with our brand's logo, or even just a pair with my incredibly cringey PlayStation Network alias plastered all over, because why not?

Other than the interchangeable "snap lock" (as they snap and magnetically lock into place, get it?) mod plates, the headset is a little sparse on features. That's to be expected with a budget wired headset, but there is a flip-to-mute unidirectional microphone on the left cup, and you can pull the headband up to adjust the fit. In lieu of onboard controls, there's a set of volume controls on the cable of the headset. I prefer having a volume dial on the cups, like Turtle Beach opted for when it came to the Atlas 200, their new officially licensed PS5, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

Performance

After just testing an official wired PS5 headset (in the form of the Turtle Beach Atlas 200), my hopes were high. Fortunately, they stayed high for practically the entire two weeks I spent testing the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, as I had a pretty joyous time with it all in all.

The wired headsets' 40mm audio drivers are Graphene-coated, so they have the benefits of less distortion in the audio that the material is known for, but without the exorbitant cost that normally comes with it. When running through the spooky fields on the seasonal in-game Fornitemares event in Fortnite, then meant I was able to crank up the volume without the fear of any audio disturbances, and the end result was great.

High-quality audio is really important in an online game like Fortnite, as you need to be hyper aware of who and what's around you in order to succeed. I managed to score two Victory Royale's in a row with this wired RIG headset, as its great sound quality was definitely the main factor as to why. The mid and high audio frequencies, particularly in the sound design, were crystal clear, so I found it easy in each match to hunt down a phone box and transform into Ghostface (a key feature of this Halloween event) and take out anyone I saw fit.

The lower bass frequencies were missing that oomph I mention a lot in ym headset reviews (I'm all about that bass), but it wasn't the worst bass I've heard. The headset can at least get pretty loud, which helps make up for the lack of depth and punch in the lower audio frequencies, which did help up the anti in Doom Eternal at least It just couldn't quite muster that in-your-face booming sound that I like to have when playing any PS5 game.

When I wasn't testing Fortnite on the cups, I dived into Marvel Rivals, to see how it faired with a very cluttered soundscape. Fortnite can get loud, but most of the time you're running around an empty field, not hearing the screams of Marvel characters unfurling their ultimates every few minutes. Just as it did for Fortnite, the RIG headset coped really well. The headset made listening to the characters' interactions before every match a treat, as the tone created from the Graphene-coated drivers lends itself to dialogue. I could listen to Emma Frost's quips on this headset all day.

While I really enjoyed my time with the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, the microphone was a bit of a letdown. The first Victory Royale I had secured after diving back into Fortnite came as a bit of a shock, so I got a bit loud and excited as I nabbed that shiny in-game crown. When listening back to the footage, it sounded like a mid-2000s microphone and something you'd associate with early Let's Play clips. Aka, it wasn't that great.

In all fairness, I did get pretty loud, and any headset microphone is not going to cope with the loud screams of an over-excited Scottish woman. However, even while just chatting on Discord, I wasn't a fan of the unidirectional microphone's tone. My partner even requested multiple times for me to switch back to the Sony Inzone H9 II that I had tested weeks before, as the subpar quality and white noise the microphone produced got grating on his ears.

Am I ever surprised that a microphone on a $69.99 headset isn't the best? No, not really. I also had a similar issue with the Atlas 200. After the hundreds of headsets I've tested in my time as a writer, I don't expect a nice warm mic tone unless I'm looking at a pair around the $100 price mark.

I will say, I am a bit more precious about my microphone's quality, given I come from a professionally trained music background originally, so keep that in mind. While this RIG headset is not one I'd use for playing Marvel Rivals with my friends over Discord again, you might not really hear the issues. In fact, if you barely chat away on voice chat, it's not going to be a big issue anyway, as you can just flip the mic out of your way.

It won't be either if you stick with single-player games, which is where this headset shines. The brilliant scores of Death Stranding Director's Cut and Doom Eternal sounded sublime through this headset, and when I can't be bothered charging my favorite PS5 cups, you can bet I'm gonna whack out this RIG pair again and again.

Should you buy the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS?

If your budget is very tight and $70 is about the cut-off, then this RIG option is very much worth your cash. Of course, you have to be happy with the idea that you're getting a wired headset here, but the annoyance of a cable getting in the way is easy to overlook when the headset has far more going for it.

Firstly, it sounds fantastic despite its more budget-friendly cost, and it's pretty comfortable and lightweight too. You're also getting some customizability with the mod plates, and the option to create your own (which is definitely handy if you're a streamer) is a feature that I'd expect to find on pricier mid-range options, not something that costs the same as a brand-new AAA PS5 game at launch.

All in all, it's easily one of the best wired PS5 headsets I've tested to date, and its quality is only let down by its subpar microphone, but that's somewhat to be expected. With the hundreds of headsets I've tested, I find that you need to be looking around at least the $100 mark before you find one that's ideal enough for hour-long Discord chats, otherwise, the RIG's mic was one my friends did not enjoy being subject to for long periods of time.

If you have the means to save a little more cash, you could alternatively grab a headset like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless, as there's only a $40 difference between the two. It's also compatible with the PS5, but has a far better microphone and comes in some cute pastel colorways for a bit of extra pizazz. It doesn't have the unique mod plates, and it doesn't come equipped with a wired option either, so it's Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless all the way. However, if you can save up that extra $40, or wait for it to go on sale, it's an option too.

If your heart is instead set on an officially wired headset, the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS is a valid choice that I'd wholeheartedly recommend for PS5 players, especially those with a love of single-player games.

How I tested the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS

I tested the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS wired PS5 headset by integrating it into my everyday Sony gaming setup. During that over two-week process, the RIG headset was popped into the 3.5mm jack of my DualSense controller when playing games like Fortnite and Marvel Rivals, especially during the Fortnitemares and Marvel Zombies in-game events. When it came to single-player experiences, I used the headset while playing Doom Eternal, Death Stranding Director's Cut and the PlayStation Classic Tekken 3.

The RIG headset was also used to catch up with streaming shows like High Potential on Disney+ and listen to various artists on Spotify, from the Scottish punk band Slime City to the latest Lily Allen Album, West End Girl. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

Not a PS5 player? Check out our guides on the best Xbox Series X headsets, best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best PC headsets for gaming for high-quality cups for your preferred platform of choice.